Particularly in the field of motor racing it is conventional for a driver to wear a so-called four or six point safety harness. In the case, for example, of a six point harness two crutch portions of the harness are joined together such that there are five separate belt sections the ends of which may be connected together by means of a buckle when the driver is seated in the vehicle. Typically the buckle is non-releasably attached to the end of one belt section and is able releasably to receive and inter-connect the other four belt ends. Each of at least the releasable belt ends conventionally is provided with a rigid end member in the form of a tongue which is apertured or otherwise shaped to define an abutment surface against which a retainer within the buckle can bear selectively to prevent removal of the tongue until a release mechanism is activated.
Legislation and conventional practices have dictated that the design of a buckle for motor racing purposes shall be of a type in which release is effected by rotation of a release arm lever. Also that the release arm shall be biased to a datum position and shall effect release only when rotated from the datum position through more than a pre-determined angle.
The requirement for a release arm type operation is a feature which distinguishes the safety harness buckles used for motor racing purposes from those for a vehicles used on public roads. For public road use it is required, at least within the European Union, that release is to be effected by depressing a button or similar component of the buckle.
The currently known constructions for buckles for motor racing vehicles are relatively heavy as compared with those for road vehicles, in part reflecting the requirement for release arm type operation, and also are relatively expensive to produce.
An example of a known construction is described in EP-1514409 A2.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved buckle suitable for use in motor racing vehicles and which is lighter in weight and/or cheaper to produce than hitherto known buckle of the release arm type.
Another aspect of the present invention seeks to provide a buckle which is suitable for actuation by either a rotatable release arm or a depressible release member such as a push button.